Bits: College roomies reunite

Back in town for a few days, catching some state hoops from the second row Friday was Curley “Boo” Johnson, retired Harlem Globetrotter, for whom he performed for 18 seasons as “The World’s Greatest Dribbler.”

Boo is a Peoria High School graduate, but his Lions got bounced from the sectionals last week by Class 3A finalist Rock Island. His interest here, aside from the general basketball, was to check out his old college roommate, first-year Chicago Brooks head coach Bobby Locke. Johnson and Locke were also teammates at Muscatine Community College.

“Bobby could jump like David Thompson,” Johnson said, invoking the name of the now retired famous skywalking NBA star. You young-uns out there: Thompson was the automatic two points on the original alley-oop lob play, which he and point guard Monte Towe perfected for the 1974 NCAA champion North Carolina Wolfpack.

“Now I could leap,” Johnson said, “and I’m 5-11. Bobby is about 5-8, and when I saw him leap the first time, I was like, ‘I’m not really doing anything.'”

Locke’s Eagles lost their semifinal to Rock Island, so Johnson decided to put off a reunion till after the third-place game Saturday.

Author: Kirk Wessler

Kirk Wessler is executive sports editor/columnist and has worked at the Journal Star since 1987. A graduate of Bradley University, he previously worked at the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune and Dallas Times-Herald. Wessler's work has won numerous awards from Associated Press Sports Editors, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, Illinois Press Association and Illinois Associated Press. He is former president of the USBWA. Follow him on Twitter @KirkWessler.
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